Aggression in children

1.1. The future of mankind will be determined most by our mastery of human aggression. There are many different types of aggression with different biological substrates. In children factors related to aggression significantly differ from those in adolescents and adults. Genetic, hormonal, neurophysiological, family and social factors interact with one another.2.2. The intensity, course and direction of aggression determines whether it is seen as “normal” or “abnormal”. Aggression manifested in various clinical entities has often E.E.G. abnormalties as the only biological finding.3.3. The usefulness of many behavioural and biological therapies remains unproven. While an average of 39% of child psychiatric patients receive psychotropic drugs, no medication has been demonstrated to be selectively “antiaggressive”; if the basic disorder improves, aggression improves also.4.4. The lack of scientific knowledge and effective prevention and treatment of aggressive children make the task of parents and professionals difficult, and leave the complex ethical, legislative and law enforcement issues unresolved. The effective management of aggression in children is not possible if society does not learn to deal with pathological aggression in general.5.5. The very poor prognosis of aggressive children makes further multidisciplinary and longitudinal research in this area vital. When the needed knowledge is obtained, we shall have to ask what type of society and world of the future do we want our children to live in.